STACK 
ANNEX 


056 


THE 
GARY  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 

PHYSICAL  TRAINING 
AND  PLAY 

By 
LEE  F.  HANMER 


613.7 


ilifornia 

ional 

lity 


GENERAL  EDUCATION  BOARD 

61  BROADWAY  NEW  YORK 

1918 


Jjfargarrt  QIarnegt? 
Idtbrarg 


30612 


by 
WITHDRAWN 


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PHYSICAL  TRAINING  AND  PLAY 


THE  GARY  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 

The  results  of  the  study  of  the  Gary  Public 
Schools,  undertaken  on  the  invitation  of  the  Super- 
intendent and  the  Board  of  Education  of  Gary,  will 
be  published  in  eight  parts,  as  follows: 

The  Gary  Schools:  A  General  Account 
By  ABRAHAM  FLEXNER  AND  FRANK  P.  BACHMAN 

(25  Cents) 

Organization  and  Administration 
GEORGE  D.  STRAYER  AND  FRANK  P.  BACHMAN 

(15  Cents) 

Costs 
FRANK  P.  BACHMAN  AND  RALPH  BOWMAN 

(25  Cents) 

Industrial  Work 
CHARLES  R.  RICHARDS 

(25  Cents) 

Household  Arts 
EVA  W.  WHITE 

(10  Cents) 

Physical  Training  and  Play 
LEE  F.  HANMER 

(10  Cents) 

Science  Teaching 
OTIS  W.  CALDWELL 

(10  Cents) 

Measurement  of  Classroom  Products 
STUART  A.  COURTIS 

(30  Cents) 

Any  report  will  be  sent  postpaid  on  receipt  of  tkt 
amount  above  specified. 


THE  GARY  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 

PHYSICAL  TRAINING 
AND  PLAY 


B 


LEE   F. 


ER 


GENERAL  EDUCATION  BOARD 

61  BROADWAY  NEW  YORK 

1918 


COPYRIGHT,  1919, 
BY 

EDUCATION  BOARD 


';\*.!l    V.jA'1"- 

'I-  "V'.'v-l  \.]0^'$v: 


Y-. 


6/3, 


30G12 


CONTENTS 

MM 

INTRODUCTION vii 

I.    PLACE  OF  PHYSICAL  TRAINING  AND  PLAY    .  3 

II.    FACILITIES 8 

III.  TEACHING  STAFF 14 

IV.  INSTRUCTION 16 

V.    TESTS  AND  RESULTS 26 

VI.    MERITS  AND  DEFECTS 33 


2052909 


INTRODUCTION 
THE  GARY  PLAN 

In  the  last  few  years  both  laymen  and  professional 
educators  have  engaged  in  a  lively  controversy  as  to  the 
merits  and  defects,  advantages  and  disadvantages  of 
what  has  come  to  be  called  the  Gary  idea  or  the  Gary 
plan.  The  rapidly  increasing  literature  bearing  on  the 
subject  is,  however,  deficient  in  details  and  too  often 
partisan  in  tone.  The  present  study  was  undertaken 
by  the  General  Education  Board  at  the  request  of  the 
Gary  school  authorities  for  the  purpose  of  presenting  an 
accurate  and  comprehensive  account  of  the  Gary  schools 
in  their  significant  aspects. 

In  the  several  volumes  in  which  the  main  features  of 
the  Gary  schools  are  separately  considered,  the  reader 
will  observe  that,  after  presenting  facts,  each  of  the 
authors  discusses  or — hi  technical  phrase — attempts  to 
evaluate  the  Gary  plan  from  the  angle  of  his  particular 
interest.  Facts  were  gathered  in  a  patient,  painstaking, 
and  objective  fashion;  and  those  who  want  facts,  and 
facts  only,  will,  it  is  believed,  find  them  in  the  descriptive 
and  statistical  portions  of  the  respective  studies.  But 
the  successive  volumes  will  discuss  principles,  as  well  as 


viii  INTRODUCTION 

state  facts.""  That  is,  the  authors  will  not  only  describe 
the  Gary  schools  in  the  frankest  manner,  as  they  found 
them,  but  they  will  also  endeavor  to  interpret  them  in  the 
light  of  the  large  educational  movement  of  which  they 
are  part.  An  educational  conception  may  be  sound  or 
unsound;  any  particular  effort  to  embody  an  educa- 
tional conception  may  be  adequate  or  inadequate,  effec- 
tive or  ineffective.  The  public  is  interested  in  knowing 
whether  the  Gary  schools  as  now  conducted  are  efficient 
or  inefficient;  the  public  is  also  interested  in  knowing 
whether  the  plan  as  such  is  sound  or  unsound.  The 
present  study  tries  to  do  justice  to  both  points. 

What  is  the  Gary  plan? 

Perhaps,  in  the  first  instance,  the  essential  features  of 
the  Gary  plan  can  be  made  clear,  if,  instead  of  trying  to 
tell  what  the  Gary  plan  is,  we  tell  what  it  is  not.  Ex- 
cept for  its  recent  origin  and  the  unusual  situation  as 
respects  its  foreign  population,  Gary  resembles  many 
other  industrial  centers  that  are  to  be  found  throughout 
the  country.  Now,  had  Gary  provided  itself  with  the 
type  of  school  commonly  found  in  other  small  industrial 
American  towns,  we  should  find  there  half  a  dozen  or 
more  square  brick  "soap-box"  buildings,  each  accom- 
modating a  dozen  classes  pursuing  the  usual  book  studies, 
a  playground,  with  little  or  no  equipment,  perhaps  a 
basement  room  for  manual  training,  a  laboratory,  and  a 
cooking  room  for  the  girls.  Had  Gary  played  safe,  this 
is  the  sort  of  school  and  school  equipment  that  it  would 
now  possess.  Provided  with  this  conventional  school 


INTRODUCTION  fat 

system,  the  town  would  have  led  a  conventional  school 
life — quiet,  unoffending,  and  negatively  happy— doing 
as  many  others  do,  doing  it  about  as  well  as  they  do  it 
and  satisfied  to  do  just  that. 

As  contrasted  with  education  of  this  meager  type,  the 
Gary  plan  is  distinguished  by  two  features,  intimately 
connected  with  each  other: 

First — the  enrichment  and  diversification  of  the 
curriculum; 

Second — the  administrative  device  that,  for  want  of  a 
better  name,  will  be  tentatively  termed  the  duplicate 
school  organization. 

These  two  features  must  first  be  considered  in  general 
terms,  if  the  reader  is  to  understand  the  detailed  descrip- 
tion and  discussion. 

As  to  the  curriculum  and  school  activities.  While 
the  practice  of  education  has  in  large  part  continued 
to  follow  traditional  paths,  the  progressive  literature  of 
the  subject  has  abounded  in  constructive  suggestions 
of  far-reaching  practical  significance.  Social,  political, 
and  industrial  changes  have  forced  upon  the  school 
responsibilities  formerly  laid  upon  the  home.  Once  the 
school  had  mainly  to  teach  the  elements  of  knowledge; 
now  the  school  is  charged  with  the  physical,  mental,  and 
social  training  of  the  child.  To  meet  these  needs  a 
changed  and  enriched  curriculum,  including  community 
activities,  facilities  for  recreation,  shop  work,  and  house- 
hold arts,  has  been  urged  on  the  content  side  of  school 
work;  the  transformation  of  school  aims  and  discipline 


x  INTRODUCTION 

on  the  basis  of  modern  psychology,  ethics,  and  social 
philosophy  has  been  for  similar  reasons  recommended  on 
the  side  of  attitude  and  method. 

These  things  have  been  in  the  air.  Every  one  of  them 
has  been  tried  and  is  being  practised  in  some  form  or 
other,  somewhere  or  other.  In  probably  every  large 
city  in  the  country  efforts  have  been  made,  especially  in 
the  more  recent  school  plants,  to  develop  some  of  the 
features  above  mentioned.  There  has  been  a  distinct, 
unmistakable,  and  general  trend  toward  making  the 
school  a  place  where  children  "live"  as  well  as  "learn.'* 
This  movement  did  not  originate  at  Gary;  nor  is  Gary  its 
only  evidence.  It  is  none  the  less  true  that  perhaps  no- 
where else  have  the  schools  so  deliberately  and  explicitly 
avowed  this  modern  policy.  The  Gary  schools  are  offi- 
cially described  as  "work,  study,  and  play"  schools — 
schools,  that  is,  that  try  to  respond  adequately  to  a  many- 
sided  responsibility;  how  far  and  with  what  success,  the 
successive  reports  of  the  Gary  survey  will  show. 

It  must  not,  however,  be  supposed  that  the  enriched 
curriculum  was  applied  in  its  present  form  at  the  out- 
set or  that  it  is  equally  well  developed  in  all  the  Gary 
schools.  Far  from  it.  There  has  been  a  distinct  and 
uneven  process  of  development  at  Gary;  sometimes,  as 
subsequent  chapters  will  show,  such  rapid  and  unstable 
development  that  our  account  may  in  certain  respects 
be  obsolete  before  it  is  printed.  When  the  Emerson 
school  was  opened  in  1909,  the  equipment  in  laboratories, 
shops,  and  museums,  while  doubtless  superior  to  what 


INTRODUCTION  xi 

was  offered  by  other  towns  of  the  Gary  type,  could  have 
been  matched  by  what  was  to  be  found  in  many  of  the 
better  favored  larger  towns  and  cities  at  the  same  period. 
The  gymnasium,  for  example,  was  not  more  than  one 
third  its  present  size;  the  industrial  work  was  not  un- 
precedented in  kind  or  extent;  the  boys  had  woodwork, 
the  girls  cooking  and  sewing.  But  progress  was  rapid: 
painting  and  printing  were  added  in  1911;  the  foundry, 
forge,  and  machine  shop  in  1913.  The  opportunities 
for  girls  were  enlarged  by  the  addition  of  the  cafeteria  in 
1913.  The  auditorium  reached  its  present  extended  use 
as  recently  as  the  school  year  1913-14.  The  Froebel 
school,  first  occupied  in  the  fall  of  1912,  started  with 
facilities  similar  to  those  previously  introduced  piecemeal 
into  the  Emerson. 

These  facilities,  covering  in  their  development  a  period 
of  years,  represent  the  effort  to  create  an  elementary 
school  more  nearly  adequate  to  the  needs  of  modern 
urban  life.  The  curriculum  is  enriched  by  various  ac- 
tivities in  the  fields  of  industry,  science,  and  recreation. 
Questions  as  to  the  efficiency  with  which  these  varied 
activities  have  been  administered  will  be  discussed  by 
the  various  contributors  to  the  present  study.  Mean- 
while, it  is  perhaps  only  fair  to  point  out  that  the  modern 
movement  calls  not  only  for  additions  to,  but  elimina- 
tions from,  the  curriculum  and  for  a  critical  attitude 
toward  the  products  of  classroom  teaching.  How  far,  on 
the  academic  side,  the  Gary  schools  reflect  this  aspect 
of  the  modem  movement  will  also  presently  appear. 


xii  .  INTRODUCTION 

The  administrative  device — the  "duplicate"  organiza- 
tion, noted  above  as  the  second  characteristic  feature  of 
the  Gary  plan — stands  on  a  somewhat  different  footing, 
as  the  following  considerations  make  plain. 

Once  more,  Mr.  Wirt  was  not  the  inventor  of  the  in- 
tensive use  of  school  buildings,  though  he  was  among  the 
first — if  not  the  very  first — to  perceive  the  purely  educa- 
tional advantage  to  which  the  situation  could  be  turned. 
The  rapidity  with  which  American  cities  have  grown  has 
created  a  difficult  problem  for  school  administrators — 
the  problem  of  providing  space  and  instruction  for  chil- 
dren who  increase  in  number  faster  than  buildings  are 
constructed.  The  problem  has  been  handled  in  various 
ways.  In  one  place,  the  regular  school  day  has  been 
shortened  and  two  different  sets  of  children  attending  at 
different  hours  have  been  taught  daily  in  one  building 
and  by  one  group  of  teachers.  Elsewhere,  as  in  certain 
high  schools,  a  complete  double  session  has  been  con- 
ducted. The  use  of  one  set  of  schoolrooms  for  more  than 
one  set  of  children  each  day  did  not  therefore  originate 
at  Gary. 

Another  point  needs  to  be  considered  before  we  discuss 
the  so-called  duplicate  feature  of  the  Gary  plan.  In 
American  colleges,  subjects  have  commonly  been  taught 
by  specialists,  not  by  class  teachers.  The  work  is  "de- 
partmentalized"— to  use  the  technical  term.  There  is 
a  teacher  of  Latin,  a  teacher  of  mathematics,  a  teacher 
of  physics,  who  together  instruct  every  class — not  a 
separate  teacher  of  each  class  in  all  subjects.  Latterly, 


INTRODUCTION  ami 

departmentalization  has  spread  from  the  college  into 
the  high  school,  until  nowadays  well  organized  high 
schools  and  the  upper  grades  of  elementary  schools  are 
quite  generally  "departmentalized,"  i.e.,  organized  with 
special  teachers  for  the  several  subjects,  rather  than 
with  one  teacher  for  each  grade. 

Out  of  these  two  elements,  Gary  has  evolved  an  admin- 
istrative device,  the  so-called  duplicate  school,  which, 
from  the  standpoint  of  its  present  educational  signifi- 
cance, does  indeed  represent  a  definite  innovation. 

For  the  sake  of  clearness,  it  will  be  well  to  explain  the 
theory  of  the  duplicate  school  by  a  simplified  imaginary 
example : 

Let  us  suppose  that  elementary  school  facilities  have 
to  be  provided  for,  say,  1,600  children.  If  each  class  is 
to  contain  a  maximum  of  40  children,  a  schoolhouse  of 
40  rooms  would  formerly  have  been  built,  with  perhaps 
a  few  additional  rooms,  little  used,  for  special  activities; 
except  during  the  recess  (12  to  1:30)  each  recitation 
room  would  be  in  practically  continuous  use  in  the  old- 
line  subjects  from  9  to  3  30,  when  school  is  adjourned  till 
next  morning.  A  school  plant  of  this  kind  may  be 
represented  by  Figure  I,  each  square  representing  a 
schoolroom. 

The  "duplicate"  school  proposes  a  different  solution. 
Instead  of  providing  40  classrooms  for  40  classes,  it 
requires  20  classrooms,  capable  of  holding  800  children; 
and  further,  playgrounds,  laboratories,  shops,  gardens, 
gymnasium,  and  auditorium,  also  capable  of  holding 


riv 


INTRODUCTION 


800  children.  If,  now,  800  children  use  the  classrooms 
while  800  are  using  the  other  facilities,  morning  and  after- 
noon, the  entire  plant  accommodates  1,600  pupils 
throughout  the  school  day;  and  the  curriculum  is  greatly 
enriched,  since,  without  taking  away  anything  from  their 
classroom  work,  they  are  getting  other  branches  also.  A 
school  thus  equipped  and  organized  may  be  represented 

FIGURE  I 
REPRESENTS  OLD-FASHIONED  SCHOOLHOUSE 

40  rooms  for  40  classes,  of  40  children  each,  i.  e.,  facilities  for  the  academic  instruc- 
tion of  i, 600  children.  A  school  yard  and  an  extra  room  or  two,  little  used,  for  special 
activities,  are  also  usually  found. 


by  Figure  II,  in  which  A  represents  20  classes  taking 
care  of  40  children  each  (800  children) ,  and  B  represents 
special  facilities  taking  care  of  800  children.  As  A 
and  B  are  in  simultaneous  operation,  1,600  children  are 
cared  for. 

This  method  of  visualizing  the  "duplicate"  school 
serves  to  correct  a  common  misconception.  The  plan 
aims  to  intensify  the  use  of  schoolrooms;  yet  it  would  be 


INTRODUCTION 


xv 


incorrect  to  say  that  20  classrooms,  instead  of  40, 
as  under  the  old  plan,  accommodate  1,600  children. 
For  while  the  number  of  classrooms  has  been  reduced 
from  40  to  20,  special  facilities  of  equal  capacity  have 
been  added  in  the  form  of  auditorium,  shops,  play- 
ground, etc.  The  20  classrooms  apparently  saved 
FIGURE  n 

r  REPRESENTS  THE  GARY  EQUIPMENT 


20  classrooms  for  academic  instruction 
of  30  classes  of  40  children  each  (800  chil- 
dren) in  the  morning  hours  and  an  equal 
number  in  the  afternoon  (1,600  in  all  daily) 


B 

Special  facilities,  taking  care  of  800  chil- 
dren in  the  morning  hours  and  an  equal 
number  in  the  afternoon  hours  (1,600  in  all 
daily) 


Auditorium 

Shops 

Laboratories 

Playground,  gardens, 
gymnasium  and  library 

have  been  replaced  by  special  facilities  of  one  kind  or 
another.  The  so-called  duplicate  organization  and 
the  longer  school  day  make  it  possible  to  give  larger 
facilities  to  twice  as  many  children  as  the  classrooms  alone 
would  accommodate.  The  duplicate  school,  as  devel- 
oped at  Gary,  is  not  therefore  a  device  to  relieve  conges- 
tion or  to  reduce  expense,  but  the  natural  result  of 
efforts  to  provide  a  richer  school  life  for  all  children. 


xvi  INTRODUCTION 

The  enriched  curriculum  and  the  duplicate  organ- 
ization support  each  other.  The  social  situation  re- 
quires a  scheme  of  education  fairly  adequate  to  the 
entire  scope  of  the  child's  activities  and  possibilities; 
this  cannot  be  achieved  without  a  longer  school  day  and 
a  more  varied  school  equipment.  The  duplicate  school 
endeavors  to  give  the  longer  day,  the  richer  curriculum, 
and  the  more  varied  activities  with  the  lowest  possible 
investment  in,  and  the  most  intensive  use  of,  the  school 
plant.  The  so-called  duplicate  school  is  thus  a  single 
school  with  two  different  types  of  facilities  in  more  or  less 
constant  and  simultaneous  operation,  morning  and 
afternoon. 

Such  is  the  Gary  plan  in  conception.  What  about  the 
execution?  Is  it  realized  at  Gary?  Does  it  work? 
What  is  involved  as  respects  space,  investment,  etc., 
when  ordinary  classrooms  are  replaced  by  shops,  play- 
grounds, and  laboratories?  Can  a  given  equipment  in 
the  way  of  auditorium,  shops,  etc.,  handle  precisely 
the  same  number  of  children  accommodated  in  the  class- 
rooms without  doing  violence  to  their  educational  needs 
on  the  one  hand,  and  without  waste  through  temporary 
disuse  of  the  special  facilities,  on  the  other?  To  what 
extent  has  Gary  modified  or  reorganized  on  modern  lines 
the  treatment  of  the  common  classroom  subjects?  How 
efficient  is  instruction  in  the  usual  academic  studies  as 
well  as  in  the  newer  or  so-called  modern  subjects  and 
activities?  Is  the  plan  economical  in  the  sense  that 
equal  educational  advantages  cannot  be  procured  by 


INTRODUCTION  xvii 

any~other  scheme  except  at  greater  cost?  These  and 
other  questions  as  to  the  execution  of  the  Gary  plan  are, 
as  far  as  data  were  obtainable,  discussed  in  the  separate 
volumes  making  up  the  present  survey. 

The  concrete  questions  above  mentioned  do  not,  how- 
ever, exhaust  the  educational  values  of  a  given  school 
situation.  From  every  school  system  there  come  im- 
ponderable products,  bad  as  well  as  good.  Aside  from 
all  else,  many  observers  of  the  Gary  schools  report  one 
such  imponderable  in  the  form  of  a  spiritual  something 
which  can  hardly  be  included  in  a  study  of  administra- 
tion and  eludes  the  testing  of  classroom  work.  These 
observers  have  no  way  of  knowing  whether  Gary  school 
costs  are  high  or  low;  whether  the  pupils  spell  and  add  as 
well  as  children  do  elsewhere;  but,  however  these  things 
may  be,  they  usually  describe  the  pupils  as  characterized 
by  self-possession,  resourcefulness,  and  happiness  to  an 
unusual  degree.  While  different  schools  and  indeed 
different  parts  of  the  same  school  vary  in  this  respect, 
the  members  of  the  survey  staff  agree  that,  on  the  whole, 
there  is  a  basis  of  fact  for  these  observations.  Gary  is 
thus  something  more  than  a  school  organization  charac- 
terized by  the  two  mam  features  above  discussed. 

The  reason  is  not  far  to  seek.  Innovation  is  stimu- 
lating, just  as  conformity  is  deadening.  Experiment 
is  in  this  sense  a  thing  wholesome  in  itself.  Of  course 
it  must  be  held  to  strict  accountability  for  results;  and 
this  study  is  the  work  of  persons  who,  convinced  of  the 
necessity  of  educational  progress,  are  at  the  same  time 


rviii  INTRODUCTION 

solicitous  that  the  outcome  be  carefully  observed. 
The  fact  that  customary  school  procedure  does  not  rest 
upon  a  scientific  basis,  does  not  willingly  submit  itself 
to  thorough  scrutiny,  is  no  reason  for  exempting  educa- 
tional innovations  from  strict  accountability.  The  very 
reverse  is  indeed  true;  for  otherwise  innovation  may  im- 
peril or  sacrifice  essential  educational  values,  without 
actually  knowing  whether  or  not  it  has  achieved  definite 
values  of  its  own.  Faith  in  a  new  program  does  not 
absolve  the  reformer  from  a  watchful  and  critical  atti- 
tude toward  results.  Moreover,  if  the  innovator  for- 
mulates his  purposes  in  definite  terms  and  measures  his 
results  in  the  light  of  his  professed  aims,  the  conservative 
cannot  permanently  escape  the  same  process.  Gary,  like 
all  other  educational  experiments,  must  be  held  account- 
able in  this  fashion.  Subject  however  to  such  ac- 
countability, the  breaking  of  the  conventional  school 
framework,  the  introduction  of  new  subject  matter  or 
equipment,  even  administrative  reorganization,  at  Gary  as 
elsewhere,  tend  to  favor  a  fresher,  more  vigorous  interest 
and  spirit.  Defects  will  in  the  following  pages  be  pointed 
out  in  the  Gary  schools — defects  of  organization,  of  ad- 
ministration, of  instruction.  But  there  is  for  the  reasons 
just  suggested  something  in  the  Gary  schools  over  and 
above  the  Gary  plan.  Problems  abound,  as  in  every 
living  and  developing  situation.  But  the  problems 
are  the  problems  of  life,  and,  as  such,  are  in  the  long 
run  perhaps  more  hopeful  than  the  relatively  smooth 
functioning  of  a  stationary  school  system.  Thus,  not- 


INTRODUCTION  xix 

withstanding  the  defects  and  shortcomings  which  this 
study  will  candidly  point  out,  the  experiment  at  Gary 
rightly  observed  and  interpreted  is  both  interesting  and 
stimulating. 


PHYSICAL  TRAINING  AND  PLAY 


I.    PLACE  OF  PHYSICAL  TRAINING  AND  PLAY 

A  STRIKING  feature  of  the  Gary  schools  is  the 
prominence  given  to  physical  education.    The 
time  assignment  in  the  daily  school  program 
is  unusual;  most  schools  have  both  indoor  and  outdoor 
facilities,  and  special  teachers  are  provided  for  all  except 
the  two  smallest  schools.1 

The  emphasis  is,  however,  not  uniform  throughout  the 
system.  There  is  the  greatest  difference  from  school  to 
school,  and  even  from  class  to  class  in  the  same  school, 
with  respect  to  the  time  allotment  and  particularly  with 
respect  to  the  physical  training  facilities  provided.  Yet, 
in  the  largest  schools  the  first  four  grades  have,  as  a  rule, 
two  hours  of  physical  training  and  play  daily,  and  all 


'The  Gary  school  system  consists  of  nine  schools,  as  follows:  Froebel, 
Emerson,  Jefferson,  Beveridge,  Glen  Park,  24th  Avenue,  Ambridge, 
Clarke,  and  West  Gary  schools.  Of  these  Froebel  and  Emerson  have 
large  and  admirable  modern  plants;  Jefferson,  a  conventional  plant, 
somewhat  remodeled.  The  Beveridge  school  has  a  six  room  brick  build- 
ing, also  an  old  two  room  frame  structure,  and  five  portables.  Similarly 
at  the  Glen  Park  school,  the  plant  consists  of  a  main  building — a  six 
room  brick  structure — and  three  portables.  The  remaining  schools, 
with  the  exception  of  Clarke,  which  is  a  two  room  rural  school,  are  merely 
groups  of  portables,  ranging  from  two  to  six.  (For  details,  see  Chapter 
III  of  the  report  on  Organization  and  Administration.) 

These  schools  vary  in  size  from  the  West  Gary  school,  with  two  teach- 
ers and  46  pupils,  to  the  Froebel  school,  with  58  teachers  and  an  enroll- 
ment of  2,087  children.  The  number  of  teachers,  the  enrollment,  and 
the  average  daily  attendance  at  each  school  for  1915-16  were  as  follows: 


4       THE  GARY  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 

other  grades  one  hour,  although  it  is  not  unusual  for 
upper  grade  classes  to  have  as  much  as  two  hours. 

Take,  for  example,  the  spring  schedule,  1915-1916, 
of  class  8,  i  A  grade,  Froebel  school,  which  was  as  follows: 

8:15-  9:15  Play 

9:15-10:15  Auditorium 

10:15-11:15  Handwork 

11:15-12:15  Academic  work 

12:15-  1:15  Luncheon 

1:15-  2:15  Play 

2:15-  3:15  Nature  study 

3:15-  4:15  Academic  work 

This  class,  it  will  be  noted,  has  two  hours  of  physical 
training  daily,  8:15  and  i  :i5,  and  has  also  an  auditorium 
period,  which,  in  the  lower  grades,  is  largely  recreational. 

As  typical  of  the  assignment  in  the  upper  grades, 
usually  one  hour  daily,  we  offer  the  program  of  class 
43, 7 A  grade: 


SCHOOLS 

NUMBER  OF 
TEACHERS 

TOTAL  ENROLL- 
MENT 1915-16 

AVERAGE  DAILY 
ATTENDANCE 

Froebel  

58 

2,087 

1,503 

Emerson        

33 

967 

742 

Jefferson   

20 

1,011 

728 

Beveridge  

14 

683 

520 

Glen  Park  

8 

315 

224 

24th  Avenue  

7 

347 

254 

Ambridge  

3 

146 

92 

Clarke  

2 

52 

39 

West  Gary  

2 

46 

30 

Total  

147 

5,654 

4,132 

PLACE  OF  PHYSICAL  TRAINING  AND  PLAY    5 


8:15-  9:15 

9:15-10:15 

10:15-11:15 

11:15-12:15 

12:15-  1:15 

1:15-  2:15 

2:15-  3:15 


Shop  work 
Shop  work 
Auditorium 
Luncheon 
Academic  work 
Academic  work 
Gymnasium 
Academic  work 


The  actual  time  allotted  in  Emerson,  Froebel,  and  Jef- 
ferson— the  three  largest  schools — was,  by  grades,  for 
the  school  year  1915-1916,  as  follows: 

TABLE  I 

HOURS  ALLOTTED  TO  PHYSICAL  TRAINING  AND  PLAY 
SCHOOL  YEAR 


GRADE 

EMERSON 

FROEBEL 

JEFFERSON 

1 

400 

416 

400 

2 

400 

400 

400 

3 

377 

400 

400 

4 

266 

325 

400 

5 

200 

320 

400 

6 

200 

250 

400 

7 

200 

200 

400 

8 

200 

200 

400 

_  JThe  hours  reported  in  this  table  are  the  average  allotment  for  the  several  classes  in  th« 
given  grade,  with  the  school  year  reckoned  as  200  days. 

A  time  allotment  in  any  one  school  year  of  400  hours 
to  physical  training  and  play  in  the  lower  grades  and 
from  200  to  400  hours  in  the  upper  grades  is  altogether 
unusual.  Such  time  emphasis  gives  physical  training  and 
play  the  first  place  in  the  school  program,  as  can  be  seen 
when  the  different  studies  are  ranked  on  the  basis  of  the 


6  THE  GARY  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 

total  time  of  the  elementary  school  allotted  to  each 
activity  (Table  II).  For  example,  a  child  going 
through  the  Emerson,  Froebel,  or  Jefferson  schools  has 
on  the  average  2,697  hours  in  physical  training  and  play, 
as  compared  with  1,605  hours  in  drawing  and  shop,  1,600 
in  auditorium,  or  1,323  in  reading. 

TABLE  II 
RANKING  OF  STUDIES  AND  ACTIVITIES  ON  BASIS  OF  TIME  ALLOTMENT* 


RANK 

AVERAGE  TOTAL 
HOURS   ALLOTTED 

PER     CENT.     OF 
TOTAL  ELEMEN- 
TARY SCHOOL  TIME 

i     Physical  Training  and  Play  .  .  . 
2    Drawing  and  Shop  

2,697 
1605 

24 
14 

3    Auditorium  

1  600 

14 

4    Reading  

1,323 

12 

5    Arithmetic  

958 

9 

6    Language  

798 

7 

7     Science  

567 

5 

8    Spelling  .  . 

496 

4 

9    History  

339 

3 

10  Writing  

329 

3 

1  1  Geography  

238 

2 

1  2  Music  

188 

2 

13  German  

62 

1 

»For  details  and  method  of  computation,  see  The  Gary  Public  Schools:  A  General 
Account. 

This  unusual  emphasis  also  puts  Gary  in  a  class  by 
herself.  Of  the  total  time  of  the  elementary  school, 
Gary  gives  2,697  hours,  or  24  per  cent.,  to  physical  train- 
ing and  play, as  compared  with  927  hours, or  n  per  cent., 
the  average  in  fifty  representative  American  cities.1 
However,  the  disparity  between  Gary  and  the  fifty  cities 


'See  The  Gary  Public  Schools:  A  General  Account,  Chap.  V. 


PLACE  OF  PHYSICAL  TRAINING  AND  PLAY    7 

in  question  is  not  so  great  as  it  appears  from  the  above 
figures.  The  allotment  at  Gary  covers,  on  the  one  hand, 
activities  ranging  from  the  free  play  of  the  old  time 
country  school "  recess  "  type  to  strictly  instructional  exer- 
cises. On  the  other  hand,  as  pointed  out  elsewhere,1 
when  pupils  of  the  middle  and  upper  grades  are  scheduled 
for  physical  training  and  play  two  periods  daily  they  sel- 
dom report  for  more  than  one.  Moreover,  when  pupils 
have  religious  instruction,  library,  music,  drawing,  or 
dancing  outside  the  school,  or  help  at  home  or  in  business, 
the  time  is  almost  always  taken  from  the  physical  train- 
ing allotment.  Nevertheless,  the  Gary  authorities  have 
undoubtedly  viewed  in  a  large  way  the  place  of  physical 
training  in  modern  education,  and  are  easily  giving  to 
it  double  the  time  allowed  in  the  average  city  system. 


»See  The  Gary  Public  Schools:  A  General  Account,  Chap.  V. 


H.    FACILITIES 

TO  CARRY  out  this  program  two  kinds  of  physical 
training  and  play  facilities  are  provided,  indoor 
and  outdoor.  The  indoor  provisions  of  the  two 
modern  buildings,  Emerson  and  Froebel,  are  elaborate. 
Emerson  has,  for  example,  two  gymnasiums,  one  for 
boys  and  one  for  girls,  each  containing  3,400  square  feet 
of  floor  space.  There  are  also  separate  lockers  and  dress- 
ing rooms,  and  shower  baths,  besides  a  splendid  swim- 
ming pool,  47  by  27  feet,  used  on  alternate  days  by  boys 
and  girls.  Froebel  is  similarly  equipped,  except  that 
it  has  two  swimming  pools. 

The  indoor  facilities  of  the  other  schools  are  less  satis- 
factory. The  attic  gymnasium  of  Jefferson  is  large,  but 
poorly  lighted  and  ventilated,  and  its  use  involves  a  con- 
siderable fire  hazard.  A  lean-to  extension  51  by  18  feet 
and  an  adjacent  portable  serve  at  Glen  Park;  portables 
are  employed  exclusively  at  Beveridge  and  Ambridge, 
and  there  is  an  old  one  room  rural  building  at  24th 
Avenue.1  West  Gary  and  Clarke  are  without  gymnasiums. 
Except  in  the  case  of  Emerson  and  Froebel,  the  Gary 
school  buildings  are  therefore  not  better  equipped  with 
indoor  physical  training  and  play  facilities  than  are 

'This  was  classed  in  the  note  on  page  3  as  a  portable. 

8 


FACILITIES  9 

most  of  the  schools  throughout  the  country,  and  not 
so  well  as  are  some. 

Of  the  outside  facilities  those  of  the  Emerson  and 
Froebel  schools  are  best.  For  example,  at  Emerson, 
directly  to  the  rear  of  the  school  building,  on  either  side, 
a  space  66  by  44  feet  supplies  a  handball  court,  sand  box, 
and  wading  pool.  North,  across  the  drive  and  on  the 
east,  is  the  playground  for  girls  and  smaller  children,  the 
park,  with  its  much  used  tennis  courts  (two),  and  the 
"zoo,"  together  occupying  a  space  218  by  176  feet.  On 
the  west,  and  also  across  the  drive,  lies  the  main  play- 
ground, 336  by  1 20  feet,  designed  especially  for  boys. 
Finally,  across  the  street  to  the  east,  is  the  athletic  field, 
occupying  an  entire  block,  607  by  286  feet.  This  field 
is  now  only  partly  developed,  but  when  completed  will 
contain  a  running  track,  a  football  field,  a  baseball  field, 
and  a  coasting  hill. 

The  West  Gary  school,  consisting  of  two  portables,  rep- 
resents the  other  extreme.  All  it  has  in  this  respect  is  an 
open,  undeveloped  lot.  Nevertheless  it  is  to  be  remarked 
that  however  small  the  school  and  humble  the  plant, 
there  are  some  outside  provisions  for  play  and  recreation. 

The  inside  and  outside  facilities  at  each  of  the  Gary 
schools  are  as  follows : 

TABLE  III 

PHYSICAL  TRAINING  AND  PLAY  PROVISIONS  IN  THE  GARY  SCHOOLS 
EMERSON  SCHOOL 

SQUARE  FEET 

Playground  (includes  park  and  "zoo") 84,496 

Athletic  field1 173,602 

1  Owned  by  city,  but  operated  by  board  of  education. 


io  THE  GARY  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 

TABLE  III— Continued 

SQOAKE  FEET 

Boys'  gymnasium 3,387 

Girls'  gymnasium 3,387 

Swimming  pool  (Pool  proper  702  square  feet;  used  alternately 

by  boys  and  girls) 1,269 

FROEBEL  SCHOOL 

Playground..  .  .  60,900 

Athletic  field1 159,850 

Boys'  gymnasium 3,978 

Boys'  swimming  pool  (Pool  proper  1,260  square  feet) 2,320 

Girls'  gymnasium 3,978 

Girls'  swimming  pool     (Pool  proper  1,260  square  feet) 2,320 

JEFFERSON  SCHOOL 

Playground 15,748 

Athletic  field. 32,130 

Gymnasium 8,253 

GLEN  PARK  SCHOOL 

Playground 21,684 

Gymnasium 1,567 

BEVERIDGE  SCHOOL 

Playground i . 13,000 

Gymnasium 1,550 

24TH  AVENUE  SCHOOL 

Playground 6,300 

Gymnasium 600 

AMBRIDGE  SCHOOL 

Playground2 14,000 

Gymnasium 775 

CLARKE  SCHOOL 

Playground 10,742 

WEST  GARY  SCHOOL 

Playground2 25,200 

1  Owned  by  city,  but  operated  by  board  of  education. 

2  Not  owned  by  board  of  education. 


•Jr. 


FACILITIES  ii 

The  equipment  of  both  gymnasium  and  grounds  is  as  a 
rule  generous.  At  the  Froebel,  Emerson,  Jefferson,  Beve- 
ridge,  and  Glen  Park  schools  there  is  to  be  found  almost 
every  piece  of  apparatus  that  a  physical  training  instruc- 
tor or  a  playground  teacher  might  desire.  Even  the  very 
smallest  schools  have  some  equipment.  For  example, 
at  West  Gary,  although  there  is  no  gymnasium  and 
hence  no  gymnasium  apparatus,  the  undeveloped  play- 
ground is  equipped  with  a  merry-go-round,  teeter  board, 
and  sliding  board.  Much  of  the  apparatus  was  made  in 
the  school  shops  and  installed,  under  the  direction  of  the 
shop  and  physical  training  teachers,  by  the  boys  them- 
selves. 

The  equipment  of  Froebel  is  typical  of  that  of  the  best 
schools,  varying  with  their  size.  Froebel,  with  a  total 
enrollment  for  the  school  year  1915-1916  of  2,087,  has 
the  following  apparatus: 

BOYS'  GYMNASIUM 

1 20  Indian  clubs 
132  dumb-bells 
6  basketballs 

2  sets  basketball  goals 
i  volley  ball  and  net 

3  footballs 

5  indoor  baseballs 

1  indoor  baseball  bat 

2  soccer  balls 

2  sets  parallel  bars 


12  THE  GARY  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 

i  set  jumping  standards 

i  buck 

i  take-off  board 

i  catcher's  glove 

1  catcher's  mask 
gymnasium  mats 

GIRLS'  GYMNASIUM 
1 20  Indian  clubs 
132  dumb-bells 

2  basketballs 

2  sets  basketball  goals 
2  balance  beams 
2  climbing  ladders 
2  climbing  ropes 
6  traveling  rings 
i  gymnasium  buck 
i  parallel  bar 
6  benches 
i  set  bean  bags 
300  wooden  playground  blocks 
22  hockey  clubs 
8  gymnasium  mats 
i  piano 

1  victrola 

PLAYGROUND  AND  ATHLETIC  FIELD 

2  May  poles 

2  traveling  ladders 


FACILITIES  .  13 


3  sliding  boards 
7  teeter  boards 
12  swings 
2  trapezes 
2  sliding  poles 
2  sets  quoits 

1  climbing  rope 

2  football  goals 
2  soccer  balls 

1  baseball  outfit 

2  handball  courts 

1  volley  ball  court 

2  tennis  courts 
2  wading  pools 
2  sand  pits 


III.    TEACHING  STAFF 

FIFTEEN  teachers  conduct  the  physical  training 
in   the  nine  different   schools.    There   are,  be- 
sides, twenty  "special,"  "substitute,"  and  "pu- 
pil" teachers — mostly  in  Emerson  and  Froebel — who 
assist.     Over  all  is  a  supervisor,  who  also  has  regular 
teaching  duties.    He  defines  aims,  fixes  general  methods 
of  procedure,  and  devotes  some  time  to  "teams"  and 
interschool  athletics. 

The  physical  training  teachers  are,  on  the  whole, 
well  qualified.  On  the  side  of  general  training,  of  the 
fourteen  reporting,  nine  are  high  school  graduates, 
one  has  had  part  of  a  normal  school  course,  one  has 
completed  a  standard  normal  school,  one  has  had  some 
college  work,  two  are  college  graduates.  Only  one  is 
without  special  training.  Of  the  others,  nine  have  had 
two  years,  and  four  have  had  three  years  of  special  prep- 
aration. 

The  supervisor  received  a  regular  salary  of  $1,100, 
but  increased  this  to  $1,964  by  working  Saturdays,  nights, 
Sundays,  and  during  the  summer.  The  salaries  of  the 
physical  training  teachers  in  the  regular  day  schools 
range  from  $600  to  $1,000.  Three  received  $600;  two, 
$750;  one,  $800;  one,  $850;  four,  $900;  one,  $950;  and 

14 


5 

£ 


TEACHING  STAFF  15 

three,  $1,000.  Without  exception,  they  also  render  addi- 
tional service  for  which  they  receive  additional  pay. 
Two  worked  Saturdays;  one,  nights;  eight,  Saturdays 
and  nights;  three,  Saturdays,  nights,  and  during  the 
summer;  and  one,  Saturdays,  nights,  Sundays,  and  dur- 
ing the  summer.  Their  average  wage  was  thus  increased 
from  $859  to  $998.  The  twenty  "special,"  " substitute," 
or  "pupil"  teachers  received  a  nominal  sum,  amounting 
to  $385  for  all. 

The  total  spent  for  physical  training  and  play  teachers 
in  the  regular  -day  school  thus  amounted  in  1915-1916 
to  $11,825.25,  making  the  per  pupil  instruction  cost,  ex- 
clusive of  supervision,  supplies,  and  equipment,  $2.09  on 
total  enrollment,  or  $2.86  on  average  daily  attendance.1 

1  The  supervisor,  as  pointed  out,  also  teaches.  He  is,  however,  not 
listed  in  the  school  program  as  a  teacher  and  we  do  not  know  how 
much  time  he  gives  to  it.  Hence  we  have  charged  his  entire  day  school 
salary  against  supervision. 


IV.    INSTRUCTION 

THE  physical  training  teachers  of  Gary  are  re- 
sponsible for  everything  that  pertains  to  physical 
education.  Regular  teachers  are  not  required 
to  give  any  attention  whatever  to  the  subject.  There  is 
no  marching  to  and  from  classes,  or  "setting-up"  or 
"breathing"  exercises  as  a  part  of  classroom  work.  How- 
ever, the  teachers  in  charge  of  the  small  schools  on  the 
outskirts  of  the  city  do  attend  to  physical  training.  It 
is  possible  also  that  here  and  there  a  regular  teacher  in 
the  larger  schools,  prompted  by  personal  interest,  gives 
some  drill  in  proper  walking,  standing,  and  sitting,  but 
no  one  is  required  to  do  so.  The  physical  education  of 
the  children,  therefore,  centers  almost  exclusively  in  the 
gymnasium,  swimming  pool,  and  playground. 

The  schools  are  organized  so  that  there  are  instruction 
groups  for  the  gymnasiums  and  playgrounds  six  hours 
daily.  These  are  also  open  to  the  children  during  the 
two  luncheon  periods  and  for  an  hour  after  school;  that 
is,  they  are  open  from  8 115  A.  M.  to  5  o'clock.  The  work- 
ing day  of  the  physical  training  teachers  is,  however,  only 
seven  hours.  The  policy  of  the  department  is  to  do  as 
much  as  possible  out  of  doors,  but  in  actual  practice 
the  gymnasiums  are  used  more  than  the  playgrounds. 

16 


INSTRUCTION  17 

The  instruction  groups  are  often  large,  at  times  much 
too  large,  making  the  daily  program  of  the  physical 
training  teachers  a  heavy  one.  Occasionally  groups  of  a 
single  class  of  from  12  to  15  are  found,  but  the  larger 
groups  are  more  frequent,  at  times  numbering  150,  com- 
posed of  pupils  from  all  grades  from  the  first  to  the 
eighth.  The  schedules  given  in  Table  IV1  illustrate  the 
make-up  and  the  size  of  the  very  large  classes.  How- 
ever, excusing  pupils  for  library,  religious  instruction, 
and  home  work,  and  particularly  the  optional  attendance 
of  pupils  on  one  hour  of  physical  training  when  assigned 
two  hours  daily,  often  reduce  the  actual  class  attendance 
considerably  below  the  scheduled  number. 

Serious  problems  arise  in  attempting  to  handle  such 
classes.  Exercises  and  games  suited  to  each  of  the  dif- 
ferent age  and  grade  groups  cannot  be  given.  Conse- 
quently, "free  play"  predominates,  dangerously  near 
to  the  exclusion  of  everything  else.  This  "free  play" 
is  of  an  aimless,  running  about,  and  "fooling"  character 
that  has  little  value  except  as  a  means  of  "letting  off 
steam"  and  stimulating  blood  circulation — both  of 
which  are  desirable,  but  may  be  secured  incidentally  in 
connection  with  a  more  constructive  use  of  play  time. 
However,  this  type  of  free  play  accords  with  the  appar- 
ent policy  of  the  system — that  of  giving  children  great  free- 
dom. Even  in  the  brief  periods  of  calisthenic  exercises, 
it  is  not  unusual  to  see  several  pupils  standing  idly  in  their 
places  or  taking  the  exercises  listlessly  and  incorrectly. 
Snappy,  vigorous  work  is  not  insisted  upon.  Hence,  much 

lSee  pages  18  and  19. 


18 


THE  GARY  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 


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20  THE  GARY  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 

of  the  physical  value  of  the  exercise  is  lost  and  the  habit 
of  doing  work  in  a  slipsho  manner  is  a  logical  result. 

For  example,  a  class  of  boys  in  the  Emerson  school  re- 
ports for  gymnasium  at  2:15  o'clock.  They  come  down 
the  hall  68  strong,  ranging  from  the  third  to  the  tenth 
grade,  and  pour  into  the  gymnasium.  A  few  have 
stopped  on  the  way  at  their  lockers  to  get  their  gym- 
nasium shoes  and  leave  their  coats,  but  most  of  them 
come  without  any  change  of  clothing.  The  teacher 
tosses  a  basketball  or  two  to  them,  and  a  merry  scramble 
begins.  Some  "shoot  baskets,"  others  pass  the  ball, 
and  others  "rough-house"  in  the  center  of  the  floor. 
In  a  corner  provided  with  mats  informal  wrestling  bouts 
may  be  staged,  a  few  may  climb  ladders  or  practise  on 
the  bars,  and  all  the  while  boys,  big  and  little,  run  from 
place  to  place,  shout,  trip,  punch,  and  indulge  in  a  general 
mix-up. 

After  a  few  minutes  the  instructor  selects  two  team 
leaders,  each  choosing  about  twenty  boys;  these  are  lined 
up  in  two  squads  for  a  basketball  relay  contest.  As 
soon  as  this  is  started  a  basketball  game  is  gotten  under 
way,  and  then  a  tug-of-war  is  set  going.  The  wrestling 
is  still  in  progress,  and  several  informal  boxing  bouts 
are  probably  taking  place  here  and  there.  Those  not 
engaged  in  the  activities  mentioned  are  "rooting"  for 
the  various  contestants  or  running  about  in  impromptu 
tag  games.  Ten  to  fifteen  minutes  before  the  end  of  the 
period,  the  instructor  blows  his  whistle  for  attention, 
assembles  the  group  in  class  formation,  and  puts  them 


INSTRUCTION  21 

through  some  formal  exercises  with  more  or  less  uniform- 
ity and  individual  participation.  Sometimes  the  order 
is  reversed,  calisthenics  coming  first,  games  and  free  play 
following.  When  the  weather  is  favorable  the  whole 
group  is  frequently  taken  to  the  playground;  or,  if  there 
are  two  teachers,  the  class  may  be  divided,  one  half  going 
to  the  playground  and  the  other  remaining  in  the  gym- 
nasium. 

Again,  with  such  large  classes  little  attention  can  be 
given  to  corrective  exercises  adapted  to  individual  needs. 
Physical  examinations  are  not  systematically  made,  and 
no  records  of  physical  development  are  kept.  The 
physician  in  charge  of  medical  inspection  has  recently 
undertaken,  with  some  volunteer  assistance  from  local 
hospital  nurses,  to  make  such  examinations  and  to  keep 
records  of  the  physical  progress  of  the  children.  His 
chief  tasks  are,  however,  to  guard  against  the  spread  of 
communicable  diseases,  examine  for  defects  of  eyes, 
ears,  and  throat,  and  to  oversee  in  a  general  way  heating, 
lighting,  ventilation,  and  sanitation.  Epidemics  among 
Gary  school  children  have  been  rare  and  limited  in  ex- 
tent. This  may  be  due  to  the  prompt  quarantine  of 
initial  cases,  or  to  the  strong  resistive  power  of  children 
who  have  a  large  amount  of  physical  activity,  or  to  both. 

The  most  systematic  instruction  is  in  the  swimming 
pools,  particularly  at  the  Froebel  school.  Pupils  go  to 
the  pools  in  groups  of  about  twenty  five  twice  a  week, 
after  first  passing  through  the  shower  baths.  They  are 
taught  to  swim  and  dive,  and  tests  of  skill  and  speed  add 


22  THE  GARY  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 

zest  and  interest.  Life  saving  and  first  aid  are  also 
taught  and  well  mastered  by  drill. 

Some  correlation  is  attempted  between  the  activities 
of  the  play  periods  and  the  academic  work.  For  in- 
stance, drill  in  numbers  is  secured  by  the  use  of  games 
which  require  the  players  to  keep  their  individual  or  team 
scores;  points  are  added,  penalties  subtracted,  totals 
divided  to  get  averages,  etc.  The  pupil  who  cannot  do 
this  is  at  such  a  disadvantage,  it  is  claimed,  that  he  feels 
the  necessity  of  improving  his  number  work. 

This  account  of  physical  training  instruction  suggests 
public  playgrounds,  where  children  gather  to  amuse 
themselves  out  of  school  hours,  rather  than  school  work, 
where  definite  ends  in  the  way  of  physical  development 
are  sought.  In  so  far  as  children  play  freely  on  the 
playgrounds  after  school  hours,  the  Gary  arrangement  is 
a  wholesome  one;  but  the  same  kind  of  freedom  cannot 
be  allowed  children  in  their  physical  training  work  during 
school  hours — although  the  longer  school  day  includes 
part  of  the  time  children  usually  have  for  play — without 
losing  much  of  the  good  which  comes  from  systematic 
exercises  under  intelligent  guidance. 

The  school  playgrounds,  with  teachers  in  charge,  are 
open,  as  suggested  above,  after  school,  and  also  on  Sat- 
urdays. Except  on  special  occasions,  the  attendance  is 
light.  For  example,  the  playground  attendance  was 
taken  on  different  Saturdays,  the  largest  number  ever 
counted  at  any  one  time  being  46  children  (Table  V). 

Three  factors  help  to  explain  this  light  attendance: 


INSTRUCTION 


TABLE  V 
SATURDAY  PLAYGROUND  ATTENDANCE1 


SCHOOL 

DATE 

TIME 

NUMBER  ON 
PLAYGROUNDS 

AVERAGE  DAILY 
SCHOOL 
ATTENDANCE 

Emerson 
Froebel 
Jefferson 
Beveridge 
Glen  Park 
,  Ambridge 
24th  Avenue 

April  25 
May  27 
June  3 
May  27 
May  27 
Junes 
May  27 

9:00 
9:20 
9:30 
11:30 
11:00 
11:30 
10:30 

0 
46 
6 
4 
1 
20 
15 

742 

1,503 
728 
520 
224 
92 
254 

>The  playgrounds  at  Clarke  and  West  Gary  schools  are  not  open  on  Saturdays. 

(i)  the  generous  allotment  of  time  to  play  in  the  regular 
day's  program;  (2)  the  large  amount  of  open  space  avail- 
able for  play  in  most  of  the  residential  sections  of  Gary; 
and  (3)  the  lack  of  organized  activities  on  the  play- 
grounds as  an  inducement  to  attend.  An  empty  play- 
ground is  a  lonesome  place,  and  children  avoid  it  unless 
the  crowd  goes  or  the  leader  is  there  to  start  something.'- ' 
At  the  Emerson,  Froebel,  and  Jefferson  schools, 
the  playgrounds,  being  equipped  with  electric  lights,  are 
also  open  for  evening  use.  Boys  and  young  men  at  work 
during  the  day  use  them  to  some  extent,  but  the  gym- 
nasiums and  swimming  pools  are  more  popular.  Swim- 
ming instructors  invariably  have  evening  classes  of  from 
fifteen  to  thirty,  and  in  the  boys'  gymnasiums  the  in- 
structors in  wrestling  have  about  the  same  number. 
In  the  girls'  gymnasiums,  dancing  is  the  popular  activity, 
with  basketball  a  close  competitor.  Parties  for  both 
sexes  are  occasionally  held  in  the  gymnasiums,  and  mo- 


24  THE  GARY  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 

tion  pictures,  amateur  theatricals,  and  concerts  are  pro- 
vided in  the  auditoriums.  Yet  special  occasions,  specially 
advertised,  are  the  only  evening  features  that  attract 
considerable  numbers  to  the  school  buildings. 

The  athletic  activities  center  largely  around  basket- 
ball and  baseball.  Interschool  games  are  frequent,  and 
considerable  energy  is  devoted  to  teams  for  intercity 
games.  The  Gary  schools,  however,  err  here  just  as 
most  schools  err.  Attention  is  centered  on  the  train- 
ing of  a  few  team  players,  to  the  practical  exclusion 
of  the  rest  of  the  student  body.  Track  and  field  sports 
claim  some  consideration,  but  only  a  small  percen- 
tage of  the  enrollment  actually  participate.  A  meet 
between  the  Emerson  and  Froebel  schools  held  during 
the  time  of  this  study  brought  out  only  seventy  eight 
competitors  and  but  a  few  more  spectators,  although 
there  was  a  full  program  of  events  arranged  for  both 
boys  and  girls.  The  situation  would  be  greatly  helped 
by  a  system  of  group  athletics,  whereby  all  the  pupils 
of  a  class  or  a  grade  would  compete  with  corresponding 
groups  in  other  schools. 

Where  so  much  time  is  given  to  physical  activities,  one 
might  expect  physical  training  to  be  required  in  the  high 
schools,  but  such  is  not  the  case.  Indeed,  instances  were 
found  of  late  comers  who  were  to  be  graduated  without 
having  had  any  physical  training  whatever. 

The  teachers  work  independently,  some  doing  their 
work  well,  others  poorly.  There  is,  therefore,  the  great- 
est need  of  supervision.  The  present  supervisor  besides 


INSTRUCTION  25 

teaching  has  jurisdiction  over  athletics,  demonstration, 
and  the  distribution  of  supplies,  but  his  authority  is  not 
definite  either  in  detail  or  extent.  Consequently  he  is 
greatly  handicapped  in  systematizing  the  work  and  in 
making  it  as  effective  as  it  might  be  even  under  the 
adverse  conditions  already  pointed  out. 


V.    TESTS  AND  RESULTS 

FOR  some  years  the  athletic  badge  tests  for  ele- 
mentary and  secondary  school  boys  have  been 
used  generally   throughout  the  United  States. 
They  comprise  a  sixty  yard  dash,  a  standing  broad  jump, 
and  a  pull-up.     Under  the  standards  for  these  tests, 
normally  developed  boys  from  ten  to  thirteen  years  of 
age  should  run  60  yards  in  8f  seconds,  do  a  standing 
broad  jump  of  5  feet  9  inches,  and  pull  up  four  times. 
Boys  thirteen  years  and  older  should  do  the  run  in  8 
seconds,  jump  6  feet,  and  pull  up  six  times.1 

The  emphasis  on  play  in  the  Gary  schools  affords 
abundant  opportunity  to  run  and  jump,  and  the  bars, 
ladders,  and  rings  in  gymnasiums  and  on  playgrounds 
provide  the  means  for  developing  the  arm,  shoulder, 
back,  and  chest  muscles  that  function  in  the  pull-up. 
These  badge  tests  were  therefore  chosen  to  measure  the 
products  of  the  physical  training  at  Gary.  They  are 
not  a  complete  measure  of  physical  efficiency,  but  they 
serve  as  a  fair  index  of  heart,  lung,  and  general  muscular 
development. 


JFor  conditions  controlling  the  giving  of  these  tests,  see  Athletic  Badge 
Tests  for  Boys,  issued  by  The  Playground  and  Recreation  Association  of 
America. 

26 


TESTS  AND  RESULTS 


27 


Approximately  all  boys  ten  years  of  age  and  over  were 
tested.  The  results,  when  expressed  in  terms  of  the  aver- 
ages for  the  different  age  groups,  are  given  in  Table  VI. 

TABLE  VI 
RESULTS  OF  BADGE  TESTS  FOR  BOYS 

THE  60  YARDS  DASH 
(Standard :  8.60  seconds  for  lower  groups,  and  8  seconds  for  upper  groups) 


AGE 

NUMBER 
TESTED 

AVERAGE  TIME 
GARY 

AVERAGE   TIME 
OTHER   CITIES1 

LOWER  AGE  GROUPS 

(sec.) 

(sec.) 

Under  10  years 

31 

11.00 

10.00 

IO-II 

43 

9.67 

9.21 

11-12               " 

74 

9.64 

8.94 

12-13 

100 

9.32 

9.10 

UPPER   AGE  GROUPS 

13-14       years 

86 

9.38 

8.96 

i4-i5 

41 

9.27 

8.65 

15  and  over 

31 

8.49 

8.40 

THE  STANDING   BROAD  JUMP 

(Standard :  5  feet  9  inches  for  lower  groups,  and  6  feet  for  upper  groups) 


AGE 

NUMBER 
TESTED 

AVERAGE  DIS- 
TANCE, GARY 

AVERAGE    DIS- 
TANCE, OTHER 
CITIES1 

LOWER  AGE  GROUPS 

Under  10  years 

IO-II 
11-12               « 

12-13 

30 
43 
74 
100 

(ft.)      (in.) 
4        6.50 
5        3.47 
5        8.28 
5      10.64 

(ft.)       (in.) 
5         6.90 
5         9.30 
5        10.35 
5        11.10 

UPPER  AGE  GROUPS 

13-14       years 

14-15 
15  and  over 

86 
41 
31 

6        1.50 
6        1.80 
7        0.31 

5       11.70 
6         3.70 
6         8.50 

'The  comparative  data  for  the  i.ioo  boys  are  for  the  same  tests,  given  under  similar 
conditions  in  New  Orleans,  Seattle,  Buffalo,  and  New  York. 


28 


THE  GARY  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 


TABLE  VI— Continued 

THE  PULL-UP 

(Standard:  4  times  for  lower  groups,  and  6  times  for  upper  groups) 


AGE 

NUMBER 
TESTED 

AVERAGE  TIME 
GARY 

AVERAGE  TIME 
OTHER  CITIES* 

LOWER  AGE  GROUPS 

Under  10  years 

IO-II 
11-12                 " 

12-13 

26 
38 
67 
92 

3.00 
4.32 
5.23 
4.84 

5.63 
5.86 
6.25 
6.03 

UPPER   AGE   GROUPS 

13-14       years 

14-15 
15  and  over 

81 
39 
31 

4.83 
5.24 
7.03 

6.14 
7.30 
8.64 

•The  comparative  data  for  the  1,100  boys  are  for  the  same  tests,  given  under  similar 
conditions  in  New  Orleans,  Seattle,  Buffalo,  and  New  York. 

The  achievements  of  the  Gary  schools  as  thus 
measured  are  low.  Not  a  single  one  of  the  seven  differ- 
ent age  groups  reached  the  standard  for  the  sixty  yard 
dash.  In  the  standing  broad  jump  and  the  pull-up 
about  half  of  the  age  groups  fell  below  and  about  half 
exceeded  the  standards  for  these  tests.  The  Gary 
achievements  are  also  low  in  comparison  with  other 
cities.  In  the  three  tests,  when  the  children  are  divided 
in  each  instance  into  seven  different  age  groups,  there  are 
twenty  one  possible  comparisons.  In  only  two  com- 
parisons do  the  Gary  boys  equal  or  surpass  the  records 
of  the  boys  from  other  cities.1  These  excel  in  the  stand- 
ing broad  jump.  That  Gary  children  should  do  com- 


The  comparative  results  are  practically  the  same  when  the  boys  are 
grouped  by  height  and  by  weight. 


TESTS  AND  RESULTS  29 

paratively  better  in  this  test  than  in  the  others  is  not 
surprising,  as  running  and  jumping  are  among  the  most 
common  playground  activities.  The  Gary  results  are 
also  strikingly  uneven.  They  differ  from  school  to 
school  and  from  individual  to  individual.  For  example, 
the  individual  records  in  the  pull-up  test  range  from  zero, 
one,  two,  three  times  on  up  to  twelve,  thirteen,  and 
even  seventeen  times.  To  what  extent  these  low  and 
uneven  results  may  be  due  to  children  who  have  only 
been  in  the  Gary  school  a  short  time,  we  do  not  know. 

Other  ways  of  reaching  conclusions  on  the  Gary 
physical  training  products  were  sought.  The  children 
were  observed  at  play  and  in  athletics.  It  is  plainly 
evident  that  they  are  not  easily  fatigued.  Both  boys 
and  girls  are  able  to  compete  in  such  vigorous  and 
lengthy  events  as  potato  races,  obstacle  races,  sack  races, 
basketball  and  volley  ball,  without  undue  exhaustion 
and  with  well  sustained  vigor.  This  conclusion  is  like- 
wise borne  out  by  the  scores  in  basketball  games  with 
teams  from  other  cities.  Practically  without  exception, 
the  scores  for  Gary  mount  up  rapidly  in  the  last  half  of 
the  contest. 

Low  records  in  the  tests  and  evidence  of  a  high  degree 
of  bodily  vigor  are  not  ordinarily  found  together.  Pos- 
sibly the  freedom  allowed  the  children  and  the  absence 
of  exactness  and  finish  in  their  work,  coupled  with  tha 
generous  amount  of  time  allotted  to  play  and  other  forms 
of  physical  activity,  account  for  these  apparently  con- 
flicting results.  However,  under  a  proper  regime,  it 


30  THE  GARY  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 

should  be  possible  to  secure  good  records  and  bodily 
vigor  at  one  and  the  same  tune. 

Although  the  athletic  badge  tests  for  girls  are  relatively 
new  and  there  are  no  comparative  records,  it  seemed 
desirable  to  give  them  at  Gary.  The  tests  employed 
were  basketball  or  volley  ball  throwing,  potato  race, 
and  running  and  catching.  The  respective  standards 
for  normally  developed  girls  of  different  ages  are  given 
in  Table  VII. 

TABLE  VII 
STANDARDS  IN  ATHLETIC  BADGE  TESTS  FOR  GIRLS 


TEST  EVENTS 

STANDARDS  FOR  DIFFERENT  AGE  GROUPS 

10  TO  13  YEARS 

13  TO  15  YEARS 

15  YEARS  AND 
OVER 

Basketball  Throwing 
Volley  Ball  Throwing 
Potato     Race     (170 
yards,  3   potatoes 
placed     out     and 
picked  up) 
Running  and  Catch- 
ing (60  yards,  with 
3    catches    and    5 
turns) 

34  feet 
36  feet 

42  seconds 
25  seconds 

38  feet 
40  feet 

39  seconds 
22  seconds 

42  feet 
44  feet 

38  seconds 
20  seconds 

One  hundred  twenty  four  girls  competed  in  basket- 
ball throwing;  159,  in  volley  ball  throwing;  280,  in  the 
potato  race;  and  274,  in  running  and  catching.1  Not  one 
of  the  six  age  groups  reached  the  standard  in  basketball 
throwing  or  in  the  potato  race;  only  three  groups  equaled 

1  See  Table  VIII. 


TESTS  AND  RESULTS 


TABLE  VHI 

RESULTS  OF  BADGE  TESTS  FOR  GIRLS 


BASKETBALL  THROWING 


AGE  GROUPS 

NUMBER  TESTED 

AVERAGE  DISTANCE 

(feet)               (in.) 

lo-n  years 

1 

27               0.0 

IJ-I2         " 

7 

24               9.3 

12-13      " 

16 

27               5.8 

I3-H      " 

28 

31               8.3 

14-iS      " 

35 

35               8.8 

15  and  over 

37 

36               6.0 

VOLLEY  BALL  THROWING 


AGE  GROUPS 

NUMBER  TESTED 

AVERAGE  DISTANCE 

(feet)            (in.) 

lo-u  years 

22 

30               6.8 

11-12         " 

33 

32               6.6 

12-13      " 

50 

35              2.3 

13-14      " 

35 

42               6.4 

14-iS 

15 

46               3.6 

15  and  over 

4 

52               7.7 

POTATO  RACE 


AGE   GROUPS 

NUMBER  TESTED 

AVERAGE  TIME 

(seconds) 

lo-n  years 

23 

45.54 

11-12        " 

41 

45.42 

12-13      " 

66 

44.53 

I3-J4      " 

62 

44.73 

14-15 

47 

44.19 

15  and  over 

41 

44.56 

THE  GARY  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 

TABLE  VIII— Continued 


RUNNING  AND  CATCHING 


AGE  GROUPS 

NUMBER   TESTED 

AVERAGE  TIME 

(seconds) 

io-ii  years 

22 

27.90 

11-12         " 

37 

27.56 

12-13      " 

65 

24.20 

I3-H      " 

62 

23.35 

14-iS 

47 

23.64 

15  and  over 

41 

22.56 

or  exceeded  the  standard  in  volley  ball,  and  one  in  run- 
ning and  catching.  The  results  are  therefore  no  more 
satisfactory  than  the  results  of  the  boys'  tests.  There 
is  also  the  same  unevenness  and  irregularity  in  develop- 
ment. Two  hundred  fifty  two  girls,  for  example,  reached 
the  standard  in  at  least  one  test,  but  only  21  passed 
all  three.  And  yet,  like  the  boys,  the  girls  evidenced  un- 
usual powers  of  endurance,  particularly  in  running  and 
catching,  which  require  sustained  effort. 


VI.    MERITS  AND  DEFECTS 

To  conclude:  The  time  allotted  at  Gary  to  physical 
training  and  play  is  generous,  to  say  the  least.  It  af- 
fords ample  opportunity  for  orderly  exercises  of  a  cor- 
rective, body-building  character,  as  well  as  recreative 
games  and  free  play.  The  two  largest  schools  are  elab- 
orately equipped,  and  all  schools  are  so  organized  as  to 
keep  physical  training  facilities  in  use  throughout  the 
school  day. 

The  numbers  to  be  managed  at  any  one  period  are, 
however,  too  large,  and  the  ages  of  the  pupils  in  the  same 
instruction  group  too  varied.  As  a  result,  physical 
training  teachers  are  confronted  with  an  impossible  task. 
They  cannot  give  to  individuals  the  needed  attention  or 
use  exercises  suitable  to  such  widely  varying  stages  of 
physical  development.  The  situation  is  further  compli- 
cated by  excessive  emphasis  on  free  play.  Undoubt- 
edly free  play  is  thus  prominent  owing  to  a  reaction 
against  dull  formal  exercise.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
however,  it  is  not  necessary  to  use  uninteresting  and 
formal  exercises  in  order  to  get  satisfactory  results  in 
physical  training.  The  ends  sought  can  be  best  secured 
from  carefully  selected  games  suited  to  the  different 
age  and  sex  groups,  as  these  provide,  in  addition  to  the 

33 


34  THE  GARY  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 

interest  and  desirable  fun  elements,  the  exercises  neces- 
sary for  proper  physical  development. 

A  further  point  to  be  observed  in  physical  training 
and  play  is  excellence  in  achievement.  There  is  a  moral 
as  well  as  a  physical  value  in  doing  things  well.  Gary 
pupils  have  little  idea  of  what  supreme  effort  to  do  one's 
best  really  means.  Their  exercises  as  a  rule  lack  snap, 
vigor,  and  finish.  The  schools  have  gone  to  the  extreme 
in  letting  children  do  what  they  choose  to  do  and  do 
it  in  their  own  way. 

Some  good  athletic  teams  are  developed,  but  sufficient 
attention  is  not  given  to  the  athletic  training  of  all  chil- 
dren. A  more  general  interest  in  athletics  would  not 
only  react  on  the  regular  day  schools,  but  would  also 
promote  a  larger  after  school,  Saturday,  and  evening 
use  of  gymnasiums  and  athletic  fields. 

There  is  evident  need  in  this  department  of  more 
teachers  and  of  more  supervisory  control.  Physical 
examinations  should  be  systematically  made,  special 
corrective  exercises  prescribed  for  those  with  physical 
defects,  and  a  careful  record  kept  of  each  pupil's  prog- 
ress. To  carry  these  recommendations  into  effect  would 
of  course  add  to  the  expense  of  the  department,  but  the 
added  expense  would  certainly  be  justified  in  view  of  the 
ends  to  be  achieved. 

While,  therefore,  the  Gary  schools  offer  splendid  op- 
portunities in  physical  training  and  play,  it  is  only  fair 
to  state  that  these  possibilities  are  not  fully  realized. 
Nevertheless,  to  those  interested  in  the  physical  welfare 


MERITS  AND  DEFECTS  35 

of  boys  and  girls,  the  Gary  schools  offer  encouragement. 
They  have  performed  a  distinct  service  in  emphasizing 
the  education  of  the  whole  child — physical  as  well  as 
mental.  In  theory,  they  have  come  near  doing  justice 
to  physical  education;  their  practice  is  also  in  some  re- 
spects commendable,  but,  in  general,  the  execution  of 
the  plan  falls  too  far  behind  the  conception  and  intention. 


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